Hello! My name is Fathima Shaikh. I am a freshman at Walter Payton College Prep Highschool.

Ever since I was a young girl, I knew about cancer. It was something that I don't remember learning about. I just knew about it, like its a dark forbidden secret that slipped into my mind. I knew about the destruction it brought on individual lives, on family lives. I knew because I had very close family affected by it. While they have survived and successfully battled leukemia and other cancers, I know not everyone is fortunate enough to do so.

I am honored to participate as a team member for the 2020 Students of the Year program, a seven-week initiative in which select high school students from around the country participate in a fundraising competition to benefit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Being apart of the Students of the Year program will give me the opportunity to give back to not only my community but to the world. It will help me, even though I am only 14, contribute to a greater cause - contribute to the defeat of cancer. 

All donations are greatly appreciated and are tax-deductible. They'll not only support LLS-funded research but will help provide critical information and support for patients, and support advocacy for laws to ensure patients can access the care and treatments they need. These donations will

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are affected and ruined by cancer. Your donations will help save these lives and will help them thrive and live the full life they were meant to live. 

For more information about LLS, please visit www.lls.org.